As part of this month’s Spark, we continue our exploration of how research careers can be made more sustainable, fair, and attractive across Europe. While efforts at European level are advancing, institutions also play a key role in navigating the day-to-day challenges faced by researchers, especially those at the early stages of their careers.
In this interview, Saša Zelenika, Vice-rector for Strategic Projects at the University of Rijeka, reflects on these challenges and shares how his institution is engaging with them. From participating in initiatives such as CoARA and HRS4R to contributing to projects like SECURE, the University of Rijeka is actively involved in shaping discussions around research careers. Saša highlights the importance of involving researchers in these processes, taking responsibility at the institutional level, and ensuring that change remains gradual, inclusive, and grounded in core academic values.
From your perspective, what are the most pressing challenges currently affecting research careers, particularly for early-career researchers? How do these challenges manifest within the context of the University of Rijeka?
Well, on one hand there are increasing expectations in terms of the number and quality of publications that researchers, and then also ECRs, are supposed to produce, while on the other the landscape is characterised with increased uncertainties in terms of finances, the irregular availability and duration of project-based contracts, the changing national, EU and global conditions, … All of this makes research careers decreasingly attractive. On the positive note, there have probably never been so many initiatives dealing with creating better and more attractive career frameworks, from CoARA or the revised HRS4R initiatives, to the ERA actions or the very concrete activities within the Horizon Europe projects where YERUN and UNIRI are jointly working on some of these aspects. All these activities and vivid discussions are present also internally within the UNIRI institutional bodies and in the research community, although we must admit that the breadth and depth of the considerations at many levels are not yet fully understood or grasped, as least not to the level we in the University management would like them to be. Key is then creating participatory frameworks for addressing all the complex issues we are confronted with, involve in the discussions a large number of researchers at all career stages, and keep stressing that new initiatives are there to try to deal with the evident deficits and shortcomings of the current situation and to improve the conditions of the ECRs, while nothing will be imposed top-down and it will always be a careful evolutionary process without sudden “revolutions” disrupting the academic system.
Can you share specific actions or initiatives that the University of Rijeka has implemented to support researchers in navigating these challenges? What has worked well, and what have you learned through this experience?
We were and are very active in regularly updating our HR Excellence in Research status via the HRS4R framework (last time in 2024), as an early signatory of CoARA, via the participation in two of the respective working groups (that on the Academic Career Assessment and that on Early and Mid-Career Researchers) as well as via the development and implementation of our CoARA Action Plan and the participation in a CoARA Boost project, via the participation to the research career-related working groups in the YERUN and YUFE networks, via the participation in the above-mentioned OPUS and SECURE HE projects, but also via the already well-established internal procedures related to gender equality, research integrity, work-life balance, or the development of open science and AI usage institutional policies, or new ones such as the adoption of the institutional Rules and Regulations on Scientific, Artistic, and Innovation Activities and of the Guidelines for the Additional Institutional Criteria for the Selection to Scientific-Teaching, Artistic-Teaching, Teaching, Associate, and Professional Positions of Academic Staff. As pointed out, in all these activities are involved several of our internal expert committees as well as ad hoc groups and/or individual researchers, which makes the quality of all the activities far greater, but also improves their implementation and adoption. What is crucial in all the respective processes is also our involvement in the international fora dealing with these topics, which allows us profiting from mutual learning and the communities of practise, but also being at the table where policies are created and decision are being made. Very important is also identifying the internal strengths and building on them, creating suitable internal decision-making processes, devoting to them the necessary human, time and financial resources, and adapting the processes to the ever changing external and internal conditions and frameworks.
In your view, what steps are necessary, at both institutional and European levels, to build more sustainable and attractive research career paths for the next generation of academics?
As said, the single most important aspect is to involve in the process the researchers themselves, since they are the ones that will not only have to implement the identified activities but will also be affected by the respective outcomes. Do not rush the processes, and do dedicate the necessary time to them (remember: evolution and not revolution!), also via a structured process of iterative improvements. Do take part and be active in promoting the coordination of the EU and national policies and do take the institutional responsibility for them. In fact, a lot can be done internally with the respectively available means, without waiting for the “magic wand” of the national ministers for science or the EC DG research. Also, universities with their undoubtful reputation have a big saying in putting the relevant topics on the agenda of both the national and the EU policy fora. And we, as the ones that have mastered the research competencies, should not only base our internal decisions and policies on a structured evidence base, but should also promote and provide a strong evidence base to the national and EU policy- and decision-makers.
Last but not least, in times of crises, we should remember and remind ourselves and the others of the basic reasons of initiating and carrying out certain tasks. For example, we do want to be competitive, but most probably not by adopting the “social Darwinism” that characterises US competitiveness, nor the authoritarian and planned economy – based Chinese competitiveness. Let’s preserve our values and strengths, let’s continue being socially responsible, thoughtful, and prudently reasonable. We at the universities are also teachers, but we should not only teach our students and our wider communities, but also educate them on how to use evidence and reason to improve our lives and wellbeing, and how to “pass the torch” of the European values of, just to name the most important ones, human, personal, democratic and civil rights and freedoms, equality and equity, rule of law, social justice, economic freedoms, preserving the environment and, last but not least, of academic and research autonomy and freedom. And, never stop learning, be open, be brave!
Thank you, Saša!
Saša Zelenika’s reflections offer a compelling reminder that building sustainable research careers is both a collective and evolving effort, one that demands institutional committment, researcher engagement, and policy alignment at every level. The University of Rijeka’s proactive stance, from international collaborations to inclusive internal practices, demonstrates how universities can lead by example.
